Libraries

Academics

With nearly 3 million volumes housed in multiple repositories, Boston College’s libraries are at the heart of our University. They are where you can find the latest research or discover a rare book, from a quiet carrel or the convenience of your tablet.

Our main research library has more than 1,400 seats available, along with collaborative study spaces, lounges, galleries, and group study rooms. O'Neill is also home to the Connors Family Learning Center and the Technology Support Center. Have a research question? Reference help is available in person or online 24/7.

Regularly cited as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, Bapst offers 400 quiet study spaces in a combination of individual carrels and tables. More than 51,000 volumes on art, architecture, museum studies, and photography are housed in our original campus library.

Our University’s rare books and special collections, including the largest and most comprehensive Irish collection in the United States, are housed in Burns Library. Students and scholars can access original materials from saints and Nobel laureates, surrounded by notable art and dramatic stained-glass windows.

The ERC meets the specialized resource needs of the Lynch School of Education, with an emphasis on learning in K-12 classrooms. An interactive technology room and 50-seat multimedia classroom offer the latest classroom innovations for projects and lesson plans.

The Law Library supports legal research instruction, scholarship, and teaching, with extensive access to all essential databases. The Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room houses the Library’s collection of old and rare law books and manuscripts, including works by and about St. Thomas More.

Housed in Weston Observatory and accessible by appointment, the O’Connor Library contains a specialized collection of earth sciences monographs, periodicals, and maps, particularly in the areas of seismology, geology, and geophysics.

The Social Work Library supports the teaching and research needs of the Boston College School of Social Work. Students can access group study spaces, charging stations, and a technology lab in McGuinn Hall.

Exhibits

Archival objects, in their movements from personal possessions to historical artifacts, hold the potential for multiple future relationships; by their inclusion in the John J. Burns Library, these artifacts become public rather than personal property, entering a complex web of connections that includes various objects, researchers, and other viewers. In a world that seems increasingly divisive, these moments of interconnectivity through shared historical objects are necessary links to both the past and the future.